One of my all time favorite movies when I was young is the Wizard of Oz.  The adventures of a young girl named Dorothy, who lives on a Kansas farm with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, and her little dog Toto. One day a tornado appears outside and before Dorothy can reach the storm cellar, the farmhouse is caught up in the cyclone and deposited in a grassy field in the country of the Munchkins. Her only way back to Kansas is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Wizard of Oz.  While on the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy meets some remarkable characters: the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin Man who wants a heart and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage.  Thinking the Wizard of Oz can help them too, she encourages them to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City. And who can forget the characters of Glinda, The Good Witch of the North and The Wicked Witch of the West.  This is a wonderful movie for kids of all ages.  The characters are also a classic every year at Halloween.  Last year my daughter went trick-or-treating as Dorothy carrying her little basket with a stuffed Toto dog inside: Wizard of OZ: Toto Basket. Of course the outfit wouldn’t be complete without a pair of Ruby red slippers: Wizard of Oz: Ruby Red Slippers.   The Dorothy costume is great all on it’s own, but you can also go as a group and have the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion all together.  Check out all our Wizard of Oz costumes here: Wizard of Oz Halloween Costumes and remember, “There’s no place like home”….

Another great idea for single or group costumes would definitely have to come from the popular movie series Austin Powers.  This series started in May 1997, with the release of Austin Powers International Man of Mystery bringing with it the characters of British super spy Austin Powers and arch- villian Dr. Evil.  Then in June 1999, The Spy Who Shagged Me introduced “hippy chick” Felicity Shagwell and finally in July 2002, Austin Powers in Goldmember starred the popular female character Foxxy Cleopatra.  All these characters make for great Halloween costumes.  The October after Goldmember was released our friends had a huge costume party with prizes going out to the best single and group costumes, best horror costume and funniest costume.  My husband went as Austin Powers, I went as Felicity Shagwell, my sister went as Foxxy Cleopatra and her husband went as Dr. Evil.  Everyone loved it!  It was so much fun getting into character, plus we won for best costumes in the group category.  Actually, I did read where Mike Myers is in the works on an Austin Powers 4 with a release date of 2008.  So I have a feeling we’re not going to forget about Austin Powers and the many really cool characters from that series any time soon.  So, look no further, just click on the link to see all our Austin Powers costumes: Austin Powers Halloween Costumes.

Did you know that one of the most recognized symbols of Halloween is a pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern?  Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years!  Wow, that’s a lot of pumpkins!  Going to the pumpkin patch with my family every October brings back a lot of fond memories.  Now, my kids look forward to going to the pumpkin farm every year.  A hayride takes us back to rows and rows of pumpkins where they get to pick one right off the vine.  There are so many it’s hard to pick just one so we usually end up with five or six.  Then it’s on to the barn where they get to feed the sheep and goats.  It’s really a great time of the year to do this because the trees are beautiful shades of red and yellow and there’s a slight chill in the air making good use of sweatshirts and jackets.  The atmosphere at the pumpkin farm always puts us in the Halloween mood.     

Carving the pumpkins is a lot of fun.  There are so many really cool stencil books you can get for the kids to use.  The part that grosses out my daughters is the “gutting” of the pumpkin, so my husband always ends up getting out all the insides for them.  We always save the pumpkin seeds for snacking on later.  First run them under cool water to clean them up, then put them in a bowl and mix with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Spread them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and stick them under the broiler for a few minutes until they turn light brown.  They are delicious!  It’s just like snacking on popcorn. 

Check out these fun facts about pumpkins:

1. Pumpkins are not a vegetable – they are a fruit
2. The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2003 and weighed 418 lbs
3. Pumpkins are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber
4. Largest pumpkin ever grown on record was 1,502 lbs
5. Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein, alpha and beta-carotene
6. In Korea and Japan, "pumpkin" is a slang term for an unattractive woman

This year when you find that perfect pumpkin, have fun carving it and display it proudly on your front porch for everyone to see! For more Halloween fun ideas, you might want to check out this section of our website: Halloween Fun Ideas

Friday the 13th – could it get any spookier than that? Friday the 13th is an unlucky day in much of Western Europe, North America, and Australia. Many people avoid travel, avoid signing contracts, some won’t eat in restaurants and some people won’t even go to work.  I’ve often seen in tall buildings where the floors skip from 12 to 14.  Some sources say it may be the most widespread superstition in the United States.  I believe it!  When you see Friday the 13th on your calendar it automatically brings with it a feeling of dread.  However, while the superstition is believed to be fading, it nonetheless has deep roots in Christian culture. Many Christians have long believed that Friday was unlucky because it was the day of the week when Jesus was crucified and the number 13 was believed to bring bad luck because there were 13 people at The Last Supper. 

On the Halloween front – who can forget the popular slasher films started by the original movie back in 1980 called Friday the 13th?  Camp Crystal Lake and Jason Voorhees – that movie scared me to death!  Even now, every year on Halloween night I know I’ll have at least one kid (or adult) come to my door as Jason with the trademark hockey mask on.   

Check out this list of all the Friday the 13th  movies in order:

Friday the 13th (1980)

  Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

  Friday the 13th Part 3 3D (1982)

  Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

  Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

  Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

  Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

  Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

  Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

  Jason X (2002)

  Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

I think just about every parent out there has had a child, niece or nephew be a “Jason” for Halloween.  I know I have – my nephew is older now, but I have pictures of him as Jason on Halloween quite a few years ago.  And not only kids, but adults love putting on the Jason hockey mask as well.

I hope everyone was able to stay dry for all the 4th of July celebrations! It stormed here pretty heavily and it looked like across the map there was a lot of rain everywhere. Every 4th our house is the designated Independence Day Party spot. I have my family over for a day of swimming, games, lots of eating and of course fireworks! I have 15 nieces and nephews ranging from age 20 years old to 3 months old, so there was a constant flurry of kids running around the backyard having a great time! We were able to get in a few hours of swimming before the first storm hit, then shortly after that we were back out again for dinner and the fireworks. All the older kids get a chance to let off a few fireworks (with the help of an adult of course). It’s like a rite of passage for them!

Here are some fun facts about July 4th -

2.5 million – In July 1776, the number of people living in the colonies.
300 million – On this July 4th, the population milestone our nation soon will be closing in on.
150 million – Estimated number of hot dogs will be consumed today. That’s roughly 1 dog for every two people in the U.S.
$211 million – has been spent on the importation of fireworks from China.

The next holiday is Labor Day on September 3rd and that will be here before you know it! By then our Halloween website and stores will be in full swing and busy as ever! Our kids will be back in school and looking forward to having that long weekend off. Don’t forget to check out our website for all your school play needs!

Hi everyone!  Have you checked out our website for all the 4th of July Independence Day costumes and decorations?  They’re great!  This holiday is a great time to get together with family and friends.  There are parades, backyard barbeques, picnics, games and the perfect ending to the night with a sparkling display of fireworks.  Of course if you’re like me, a nervous wreck with the little ones wanting to get up close and personal with the fireworks!  A great way to show support to our men and women in the Armed Forces is by proudly displaying your American Flag or tying yellow ribbons around the trees in your yard.  Let them know how proud we are of them and the sacrifices they and their families are making everyday by protecting the “land of the free and the home of the brave”.

In trying to explain to my nine year old, Caden why they call it Independence Day I found a great website www.kidsdomain.com that explained it in kids “layman’s terms”.  Once Caden grasped the concept, he couldn’t wait to explain it to his six year old sister, Olivia.  However, she was more interested in chasing her little cousins around the yard then listening to her brother’s version of our country’s independence!  This year July 4th, Independence Day falls on a Wednesday, however, next year, in 2008, the holiday falls on a Friday.  I think it makes it easier for anyone that works to enjoy the holiday even more knowing that they don’t have to get up for work the next day.

Happy 4th Everyone!!